Also, while I have got the carb off, can you think of any other deferred maintenance that I should consider. I just got the scooter a few months ago. It only has 6000 miles on it. I put on new tires, a new plug, new battery, and changed the oil and coolant. It ran well until recently and then was very hard to start. I am %90 sure the problem was the original auto choke, which I found a replacement for and will install once I figure out how to remove the carb. Its my guess that its the auto choke because once it got started it idled and ran great from idle to full out.

I was hoping to see some responses to your question, as it seems you and I are in the same boat – although you are undoubtedly more mechanically inclined. I changed the oil on my scooter last week and it was the first time I’ve changed the oil on anything, other than my hair.

I picked up an 87 Elite 150 a few months ago with 3000 miles. It started up beautifully for the first month, but since then it’s been a case of “push and pray.” It cranks away like it’s about to start at any moment, but all it seems to do is drain down the battery. I’ve tried the seafoam, bought a battery tender, changed the battery, the oil, the gas, the spark plug and the air filter. I was convinced upon seeing the air filter (picture a big chunk of charcoal) that that was my problem. It seemed to fix it immediately, but before I could get the thing all put back together, it was back to its old tricks. I’ve tweaked the idle screw up, but that doesn’t seem to help it start, and once it is running and fully warmed up, it’s then idling too fast.

The scooter came from Wisconsin and I live in Boulder, so altitude and the temp dropping could be factors, but it’s not that cold yet, and it worked great for a while after arriving, so I think that might be grasping for straws. I’ve got a service manual on order, and once it arrives this week, I’ll go through it for other things I might be comfortable doing – but your “choke” theory appears to have some promise.

I don’t mean to hijack your thread; I just wanted to ask if you’d mind keeping it updated with your progress? If you have any success or lessons learned from your upcoming efforts, it could really help me out.

I am just trying to figure out whether to work on the carb myself. I am also a rookie, or take it to a shop. You can get a lot of spare new parts on bikebandit.com or on ebay. I have a manuel. Its just okay in terms of explanations. You can also try posting on "battlescooters" on advrider.com with questions. There are a few Elite riders that check into that forum.

- take the carb off: Take off the side panels.Take pics of it as is for easier reassmbly. Note all vac lines - mark them if you need.

May as well put in a new air filter too. take off the air cleaner box (rather large unit above cvt, round air filter is inside, longer tube leads around to carb intake. Several bolts hold the air cleaner unit in place to engine/mounts. Get a long phillips for the 3 screws holding the back half of the air box. Note the small U-tube that leads air to the cvt.

It's pretty self explanitory once you take a look at it, but getting a service manual is smart.

Or..without taking off the air cleaner: Note all vac lines - mark them if you need.Unhook the bystarter connections (2 leads). Unhook all vac lines on carb you markedLoosen the clamps at each end of the carb.

* One end is clamped to the air in , the other end is clamped to a hard rubber manifold (manifold is a stubby rubber tube/piece with a vac line coming of it). The manifold fits/clamped into the engine intake. You just need to loosen and open the clamps holding the front (in) and back (out) of the carb. Then wiggle out the carb being careful not to stress/crack the manifold.

Carb off, all vac lines marked:- take the bowl half off (the carb bowl screws strip easily - be careful and replace with better screws upon reassmbly). - take out any good rubber/gaskets and save...or... replace with new gaskets (better option - so order a new gasket kit)- carefully remove bystarter (choke) (has 2 small wires)

- you will see the float needle and seat, and plastic float (be careful with these, don't lose anything).

- You'll see the jets as well, these unscrew in and out essentially.

- Get a can of Berrymans carb cleaner, maybe also some very thin guitar wire (to run through very clogged jet holes/passages).

- With all important parts and rubber/gaskets removed...clean away while being careful. Get into any and all passages. clean out the jets.

- put on new bystarter, new gaskets, and reassemble

If it was in need of cleaning, you notice inscreased power, response, smoother idle better operation overall.

- How about the cvt? - new belt, new roller weights, scuff the clutch shoes up a bit to get them to grip nicely (or get new ones if they're too worn down, inc. the 3 small clutch springs), lightly circle sand the INSIDE of the clutch bell a bit. Spray away any and all signs of grease while working in there off the belt and pulley faces with brake or belt cleaner.

- Oil change?

- some electrical contact cleaner for most/all connections?

- Coolant change. 50/50 mix of regular prestone works (green).

dasadab wrote:Hi, I need to remove my carb and install a new electric choke, which I just recently found new on ebay.

I have never removed any carb, any tips appreciated.

I am also thinking I should clean the carb since its 22 years old. I have never cleaned a carb and I was just wondering if its less of a PITA to buy one of these for $49.

Also, while I have got the carb off, can you think of any other deferred maintenance that I should consider. I just got the scooter a few months ago. It only has 6000 miles on it. I put on new tires, a new plug, new battery, and changed the oil and coolant. It ran well until recently and then was very hard to start. I am %90 sure the problem was the original auto choke, which I found a replacement for and will install once I figure out how to remove the carb. Its my guess that its the auto choke because once it got started it idled and ran great from idle to full out.

Not sure where you are on your trouble-shooting, but just wanted to give you an update on my issue. I had a trusted bike mechanic take a look at my scooter. He cleaned the carb (noted that it wasn't bad at all) and that didn't solve the problem. He then traced through the ignition system and verified everything was working.

He narrowed it down to the CDI box in the ignition system. He said that unfortunately that is something he couldn't test, but since he had ruled out everything else, he was "95% sure" that would fix the problem. Apparently, he had seen this as the culprit in a couple similar cases. I found a new one on eBay for $29.95 and got it to him. He popped it in and the thing started up like a champ. Problem solved.

Here is a link to the eBay listing of that part. Again, not sure at all that this will help, but who knows?

These scooters don't have a choke. They have, instead, what is called by Honda a bystarter that acts similarly to a choke, but over time they lose effectiveness and need to be replaced. The reason it takes several minutes of cranking before the scooter starts is because the bystarter must be hot before it works and pushes a needle valve into the carburetor and it only gets hot by excessive cranking now. Would you believe that it is filled with wax and the wax expands as it heats? That's how it's supposed to work, but apparently the wax deteriorates over time and eventually quits expanding as it should. I am in the process of replacing the bystarter on my wife's scooter right now. The manual tells how to remove it, which isn't a complicate procedure, but the key is to pull the carburetor first and and the manual offers very little help. It says little more than "remove the carburetor" and you have to figure out how that's done. Good luck.